A baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited U.S. institution or its equivalent from a foreign institution with a GPA of 3.0 or higher in all work attempted in the last 60 credit hours of undergraduate study.

Students should be aware that admission into any graduate program is granted on a competitive basis. Students meeting minimum requirements may be denied admission based on such factors as program capacity or academic discretion. Likewise, students may be considered for admission as an exception if stated admissions criteria are not met.

Public concerns about crime, and the dramatic expansion of the criminal justice system in recent decades, have spurred a proliferation of courses in this field in colleges across the country. Jobs that did not exist at all two decades ago -- such as victim advocates or police computer mapping specialists -- continue to develop. There is a growing demand for persons with graduate level education in all sectors of the system. The Master of Science in Criminal Justice at UNF provides an opportunity for advanced academic work in this expanding field of study.

As a discipline, criminal justice draws together all the social and behavioral sciences, natural sciences, mathematical and computer sciences, history, law and jurisprudence to focus on the problem of crime in society. The graduate program at UNF builds upon the unifying interdisciplinary nature of the field it seeks to address.

Furthermore, the program at UNF is vitally concerned with the interrelationship between theory, practice, and research, based on the firm conviction that none of these can stand alone. Sound practice requires a firm theoretical and research base, while advances in theory and research arise from the realities of practice. The program emphasizes the acquisition of professional skills that will enable students to keep abreast of research and developments in the field long after they have completed their formal studies.

Special Notes about the Program

Criminology/Criminal Justice is one of the most rapidly growing disciplines in higher education today.

Faculty-facilitated and student-directed community-based research; community-based thesis work and practica; community-based faculty-funded research and publishing opportunities; career enhancement for in-field professionals.